West on verge of return trip to state finals

By JOEY MILLWOODTimes-News Staff Writer

Monday

Oct 27, 2014 at 9:22 PM

One would be hard-pressed to find a weakness in the West Henderson volleyball team.That revelation has proven itself time and time again this season as the Lady Falcons have lost just one match in 27 attempts. The latest dominance unfolded against South Iredell on Saturday afternoon as West won 3-0 to advance to the state semifinals for the second time in coach Tiffany Lowrance's tenure. West will host Marvin Ridge (25-1) at 6 on Tuesday night.The Lady Falcons have dropped just one set in four rounds of the 3-A state playoffs so far in what has been nothing short of a dominant run.That dominance has been a mixture of chemistry and hard work."Everybody knows their role and they work hard at it," Lowrance said. "Everyone's excelling at it. They're all doing what they have to do."While it's hard to find a weakness, there has been a point of emphasis late in the season. The Lady Falcons have been focusing on front line defense and so far that focus is showing dividends. With Gracie Carrick leading the charge, the West front line has been dominant and that defense combined with the strong backline defense have merged together to spur an even stronger offensive presence."We've really been working hard on that," Lowrance said. "I think that's been a huge factor to making our defense look better."Senior defensive specialist Rachel Kordonowy agrees with her coach.The offense has been there all season, but the defense hadn't been consistently steady up until now, she said."I think blocks are really the reason everything is coming together," Kordonowy said.Even with that slight weakness, the West offense has proven time and again to wear on opponents. The Lady Falcons have a depth that most teams don't have. With a strong defensive backline and a setter like Sierra Jones, West's offense is dangerous.Add in the fact that there are multiple players who can go up and send rockets into the opposing team's defense, and the recipe is there for dominance.Carrick, Mary Catherine Ball, Taylor Houck and Destynee Galloway have been dominant with big hits. Jones, Kordonowy and Haley Staton can go up for big kills as well. The depth wears on opposing teams, Kordonowy said."With our team, we have multiple girls that can hit," she said. "I think that is a scary factor to other teams."It really helps if one of her hitters are having an off night, Lowrance said."We don't have to go to one person," she said. "We can use everybody."And in the playoffs, they all have been on. That has made the preseason expectations a little easier to believe in, Lowrance said.Before the season started, there was the chatter amongst her team about semifinals and a state championship. Despite the fact that the Lady Falcons have only five seniors, the state championship potential is there."It's been in the back of our minds (all season)," Lowrance said.Now, of course, it's in the forefront of their minds as they play tonight for the chance to play for the first title at West Henderson since 2009, and the Lady Falcons are peaking at the right time, Lowrance said."I think that's really a great time to peak," she said. "I feel very confident right now about where we're at. If everybody steps up tall, we'll be fine."

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